Dawn's Chrismukkah
by santeria
Summary: Dawn is invited to Chrismukkah at the Berkeley house.
1. Dawn

The quaint Berkeley house was not as elaborate as Dawn Atwood had thought it would be. After all, these people had lived in a mansion on a hill, so it came as a surprise to see the little house that they had chosen to move to. Yet, it fit them somehow.

She ascended the steps and nervously knocked on the door. She was always nervous whenever she visited these people with whom her son lived. Nervous and a little sad, because she knew that her son regarded these people as his family, that he didn't consider her his mother anymore. No, he considered Kirsten Cohen his mother. Dawn knew she deserved this exclusion from her son's life; she was the one who had walked away. Still, it hurt.

Dawn had heard about the terrible earthquake that rocked Newport. She'd watched footage of it on the TV, and tried calling the Cohens, even though she knew that the phone lines wouldn't work. The moment she'd heard the words _earthquake_ and _Orange County _in the same sentence, her only thought had been Ryan? She hadn't been able to stop worrying about him, and she kept trying to call the Cohens. After awhile, the only answer she received was a recorded message that monotonously informed her that Sorry, the number could not be reached.

And she had still continued to watch the news, fear running through her whenever another fatality was reported. She'd started to obsess over Ryan, wondering where he was and if he was alright. It got to the point where her boyfriend suggested therapy, and Dawn realized that she had been so distracted that she didn't even know if they had enough money for therapy. So she'd tried to focus on her job, her love life, anything to distract from the idea that her youngest son might be dead.

Out of the blue, the phone call came in. The Cohens, inviting her over for Chrismukkah. They assured her that all was well and gave her their new address.

Dawn wouldn't have missed that Chrismukkah for the world.

Now, as she knocked cautiously, she could hear voices filtering through the air. Happy voices. The door opened to reveal Seth. He looked exactly as she remembered. There was an awkward silence before he invited her in, then the two exchanged anxious smiles and Dawn stepped inside.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that met her eyes.

It was chaos. Pure, utter chaos. There was Ryan, unaware that she had arrived. He was twirling a little blonde girl around in the air, smiling at her musical giggle. It was a truly genuine smile, one that Dawn had rarely seen before. And there were Kirsten and Sandy, Seth and his girlfriend-- Dawn had seen her before but didn't remember her name. Julie and her daughter, and...a little boy? She'd never seen that boy before, she was sure of it. There was also another girl, who exchanged sly smiles with Ryan, who Ryan was clearly in love with. And everyone was trying to set the table and watch the ham and sort the presents and keep the two little kids away from the presents and the sharp silverware.

Ryan saw her, and he set the little girl down and strode over, pulling her into a hug. She hugged back, still in shock at his new life. His third life. He pulled away and grinned at her. "It's good to see you, Mom."

Kirsten was standing not too far off, fussing with the mashed potatoes, and was able to hear their conversation perfectly clear. At the moment Ryan called her "Mom", Dawn saw Kirsten pause. Something flashed in the other woman's eyes, but the emotion was gone so quickly that Dawn wasn't sure if she'd seen it at all.

Dinner was a noisy affair that took place in the backyard; the food was delicious and the conversation joking. Dawn learnt that the little girl was Sandy and Kirsten's daughter, and her name was Sophie. The little boy was indeed Julie's, but there was no mention of who the father was. Dawn was reintroduced to Seth's and Ryan's girlfriends, and she suddenly remembered that they'd been at the pre-graduation party at the Cohen's mansion. But hadn't Ryan been dating another girl then? Marissa?

She casually brought the subject up. "What happened to that Marissa girl?" The entire table froze, with the exception of the little kids. Ryan looked away, and everyone else stared down at their plates. Then Julie said softly, "Marissa died." _Oops. _Dawn stammered out an apology, and all was quiet until Summer said, "I'm going to get some more...uh, gravy for the potatoes." She left, and the conversation slowly started up again. Dawn decided to keep quiet for the rest of the meal.

After dinner was finished and the table was cleared, everyone was herded inside to open presents. Dawn felt even more embarrassed, as she hadn't thought to bring any presents for her son. She hadn't been sure exactly how Chrismukkah was celebrated.

"It's okay, Mom," Ryan assured her, his hand on her shoulder as he guided her to the Christmas tree. Again, Dawn noticed Kirsten tense. As everyone sat down and the gifts were handed out, Dawn watched the way Kirsten acted around Ryan. She was being very motherly to him, calling him "sweetie" and ruffling his hair and joking softly with him. That's when Dawn realized it. Kirsten felt threatened by her, by the fact that Ryan called her Mom. For a moment, Dawn was confused. Didn't Ryan call Kirsten Mom as well? She listened to Ryan talking with the Cohens. No, he called Kirsten and Sandy by their first names.

It surprised her– the fact that Kirsten thought Ryan regarded Dawn as his mother, while Dawn thought that Ryan considered Kirsten his mom. It also made her feel uncomfortable, so she hung back a little as the others went about opening the gifts. She watched the candles of the menorah flicker for awhile, but was interrupted by Ryan, holding out a present for her, a hopeful look spread across his face. Everyone was watching her– there was thickly veiled sadness in Kirsten's eyes– so Dawn took the present and opened it to find a beautiful satin dress, the pale pink fabric shimmering in the light. Sophie _ooh_ed, and everyone laughed. Taylor picked up the girl and placed her next to Dawn on the sofa, so Sophie could see the fabric better. Dawn watched the girl, wishing she had a daughter of her own.

Later that night, Dawn couldn't sleep. The Coopers had left, and everyone else was sleeping either in a guest bedroom or on a sofa. Dawn lay in bed, thinking about Ryan's new life, trying to figure out where exactly she fit into it.

She heard the muffled sound of the back door opening, then someone stepped out onto the back porch and softly shut the door behind them. Curious, Dawn crept out of her bed and into the living room, moving softly so as not to disturb the Seth and Summer, who were curled up together on sofa, which pulled out to make a bed. The Christmas tree lights cast a faint glow on the walls, and the menorah candles were burnt out.

She quietly opened the back door and snuck outside, not closing the door behind her. Kirsten looked over, startled by Dawn's sudden presence. The two women simply looked at each other for a moment, then Kirsten gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and Dawn walked over and stood next to the other woman. Kirsten looked, Dawn thought, like a heroine in a movie. Her skin and her hair both looked ghostly pale in the moonlight, and the shadows brought out the haunted sharpness of her cheekbones. Dawn stared, but Kirsten seemed not to notice.

They didn't speak, just stood there looking out at the stars, listening to faint sound of traffic that emanated perpetually from the highway. After what could have been ten minutes or could have been an hour, Kirsten suddenly turned and look Dawn straight in the eyes.

"Good night." Her voice was resigned, and she started for the door.

"Kirsten?"

The other woman paused and looked back. Dawn murmured, "You took good care of him for me. Thank you." Kirsten smiled wanly, then disappeared into the house. Dawn stayed outside until the sun started to show over the horizon. She slipped inside and crawled into bed, though she wasn't tired. She lay in bed, awake, not getting up until she heard the footfalls of the others as they shuffled to the kitchen for breakfast.

After eating, Dawn insisted that she needed to get back to her job. A taxi was called, and Dawn hugged Ryan goodbye. Sandy, Seth, and Kirsten stood with him and watched her go, just as they had the last time she visited. Before she stepped into the taxi, Dawn turned and looked at them one last time. They were a picture perfect family, standing together in front of a perfect little house with a perfect green lawn. Kirsten caught her eye, and Dawn held up her hand in a little wave before climbing into the waiting taxi.

She wasn't worried about him anymore. It was more than the fact that she knew he was alive and well, but also because she knew that the Cohens wouldn't let anything happen to him. He was their son as well.


	2. Kirsten

It had been Sandy's idea to invite Dawn. While Kirsten wasn't completely averse to the idea of Ryan seeing Dawn, it made her uncomfortable. Also, she sort of felt like Sandy had betrayed her by suggesting it; he'd bugged her about his having to compete with Frank, and now he was pushing that feeling of competitiveness onto her.

She liked Dawn, really she did. She just couldn't help but feel a surge of white-hot jealousy whenever she thought of Ryan calling Dawn "Mom", because in her mind the only really good thing Dawn had ever done for the boy was leave him in her and Sandy's care. It was Kirsten who had bought him nice clothes and sent him to a good school and helped in get into college. Dawn had pretty much only neglected him and let him get...pushed around...by her boyfriends.

Besides, if Dawn was Ryan's mother, what did that make Kirsten? Was she just his guardian? If she was, then that really wasn't fair, because she knew perfectly well that Ryan had called Sandy his father.

Still, she couldn't prevent the boy from seeing his mom, so she had reluctantly called up Dawn and invited her for Chrismukkah. When Dawn agreed, Kirsten had bitten her lip and mentally cursed. After hanging up, she'd sighed then called Julie, telling her that Frank couldn't come to Chrismukkah because Dawn was coming, and if the two Atwoods met, it would be very awkward for everyone. Also, no mentions of Frank were to be made.

The day before Chrismukkah, Seth, Ryan, Summer, and Taylor all arrived. Ryan and the girls helped decorate the Christmas tree while Seth and Sandy basically just talked and joked around and made things even more difficult. Sophie sat on the floor and stared in awe at the pretty Christmas tree lights. Kirsten caught so caught up in the excitement that she was able to temporarily forget about Dawn.

Unfortunately, when she woke up Chrismukkah morning the first word that invaded her mind was Dawn. This started her off in a very bad mood, but she pasted a smile on her face and tried to act cheerful. She didn't want to ruin the holiday for everyone else.

Dawn was the last to arrive, not long after Julie and her kids. Kirsten knew who it was when she heard the doorbell ring, and she smiled at Ryan in what she hoped was an encouraging way as he walked over to Dawn to greet her. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, and for a moment Kirsten was happy simply because he was.

But then he said "It's good to see you, Mom."

Kirsten blanched then quickly covered it up by pretending to focus on the garnish. She stared fixedly at the garnish until Ryan and Dawn had left the room, then realized she'd been holding her breath. She exhaled, then Taylor entered the kitchen and Kirsten resumed her act. It was going to be a long day.

Dinner went better than she'd expected. The only glitch was Dawn asking about Marissa. The question had created a sad and awkward silence among the whole table until Julie tersely answered, which was a relief to Kirsten, who'd been starting to think that she'd have to be the one to explain.

When everyone went inside to open gifts, Kirsten stayed close to Ryan and snuck subtle glances at Dawn, who was staring at the decorations. Dawn looked over at her, and Kirsten reached over and ruffled Ryan's hair. It was her way of saying, _He's mine_. Dawn seemed to get the message, because she looked quickly away.

Kirsten was secretly pleased that Dawn had not brought a present for Ryan, but the smile on her face faltered a bit when Ryan handed Dawn a gift. Kirsten hadn't known that he'd bought Dawn anything. When she saw the pink dress, she had to admit that it was beautiful, and Dawn looked truly touched by Ryan's thoughtfulness. It was then that Kirsten noticed Sophie's reaction to the dress. She watched in horror as Taylor picked up the little girl and set her down right next to Dawn, who smiled shyly and let the girl touch the shimmery fabric. The only thing Kirsten could think was, _Not my daughter too! _It was all she could do to stop herself from jumping up and grabbing her baby away from Dawn.

She distracted herself from her anger by cleaning. She poured out her emotions, and the poor napkins and paper plates took the brunt of it. By the time everything was cleaned up, Kirsten was utterly exhausted and ready to curl up in bed for a nice, relaxing rest.

But she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the adoring way Ryan looked at Dawn, and she wanted to strangle Dawn in her sleep. Instead, she crept outside and looked at the sky and the stars and listened to the white noise of the cars on the highway. It was a perfect night, not too hot, not too cold, not a cloud in the sky. The moon seemed especially bright, and Kirsten let its light calm her.

Just as she was starting to feel better, she heard the back door open and looked up to see Dawn, of all people. Feeling that it was best not to speak just yet, Kirsten simply nodded at her, then turned back to watching the night sky. But Dawn just stood there, and Kirsten couldn't concentrate knowing that her enemy was so close.

She wanted Dawn to speak, just to break the silence, but the other woman was quiet. Suddenly Kirsten couldn't stand it anymore, and she whirled around and faced Dawn. She wanted to tell her that Ryan was hers now, that Dawn hadn't done her job as a mother and should just accept it and let Kirsten be his mother from now on. But as soon as Kirsten looked in Dawn's eyes, she stopped. Dawn just looked so tired and sad, and Kirsten couldn't bring herself to tear up this woman anymore. So the only thing she ended up saying was, "Good night."

Feeling defeated and cowardly, Kirsten started to go back inside. When Dawn called to her, she was surprised and sort of scared of what Dawn would say to her. When Dawn told her that she'd done a good job taking care of Ryan, Kirsten knew what she meant. It was Dawn's way of telling Kirsten that she knew that Kirsten was Dawn's mother as well, because Kirsten had taken care of him in the way that only a mother would take care of her son. Kirsten couldn't bring herself to say anything, so she simply smiled and went inside and to bed.

She slept peacefully for the rest of the night.


	3. Ryan

Ryan smiled as Sophie tapped the red glass ball ornament again and watched it sway back and forth on the branch. He hung another ornament on the tree as Sophie looked on, wide-eyed. She was so easily entertained (especially by shiny things) it was funny, and it also made Ryan's job of decorating the Christmas tree much more fun.

Sophie giggled delightedly as Ryan cautiously placed the gold star at the top of the tree. After he made sure it was balanced properly, he took a step back and surveyed his handiwork. The tree looked nice, he thought. It was the first time he'd decorated the Christmas tree for the Cohens-- usually Kirsten did it, but this year she was so busy getting everything else ready for the slew of visitors they were expecting this Chrismukkah. Ryan liked that she'd entrusted him with the tree; it was something that she was very picky about, because Seth or Sandy would probably have broken something or gotten bored and left the job unfinished. In short, the Christmast tree was, to Ryan, more like a symbol of Kirsten's trust rather than just a Christmas tree.

He boxed up the unused ornaments, then made his way to the attic, where he ceremoniously stacked the boxes. As he passed Kirsten and Sandy's bedroom on his way back to the living room, he heard them heatedly discussing something. Kirsten sounded slightly exasperated, which was alarming, because she was usually very calm. Ryan paused and leaned in toward the closed door.

"C'mon, it'll be good for everyone," he heard Sandy say in a persuasive tone.

"I know, I know, but...how do we know she hasn't gone back to drinking? That could ruin the holiday for everyone, especially Ryan. And what about her boyfriend?" In his mind's eye, Ryan could see Kirsten crossing her arms and glaring at Sandy.

"Just call her and talk to her. If you're still worried, we'll hide any alcohol we have, which isn't much anyway, and we'll keep an eye on her all night and make sure that there are always people around her and Ryan."

Who were they talking about? The only two women Ryan knew who had a drinking problem were Dawn and Kirsten, and Kirsten was obviously not the subject they were talking about. So that left Dawn. Which meant Dawn was coming over for the holiday.

Ryan wasn't sure how he felt about Dawn coming over for Chrismukkah. He still missed her a bit, but he didn't think about her that much anymore. Every once in a while he'd wonder if she was still sober and with her nice boyfriend. Last time he saw her, she'd seemed so determined to stay on track that Ryan felt confident that she was doing well. That didn't stop him from worrying about her every once in a while, but it enabled him to stop losing sleep over her.

He went to the living room and sat on the sofa, absently watching Sophie play with the tree lights and ornaments while he mulled over what to do next.

On Chrismukkah morning, Ryan woke up late. He'd spent the previous evening worrying about how to act around Dawn, because he wanted to make neither her nor Kirsten uncomfortable. He knew that there was unspoken tension and competition between the two women- he'd felt it whenever Dawn visited. This Chrismuukkah, he wanted as little trouble as possible, mostly because it was Sophie's first Chrismukkah, but also because all his other Chrismukkahs had been filled with drama.

Seth and Summer had arrived the night before and Taylor had come that morning, so there were seven people bustling around trying to get everything perfect. Then the Coopers came and Ryan mentally noted that Dawn was the only one who wasn't there. Maybe she wasn't coming?

But she did come, and when Ryan saw her he was at a total loss for words. He hadn't seen or talked to her in months, and everything was so different now. Now, Dawn was simply a stranger who used to be his mother.

When she saw Ryan, her face lit up and she looked so happy and hopeful that Ryan decided to humor her. So he called her 'mom' and told her it was good to see her and they hugged. It was incredibly awkward, but Ryan was an expert at not showing his feelings on his face. During the whole exchange between him and Dawn, Ryan noticed that Kirsten was nearby, and for a moment he thought he saw her wince, but then the expression was gone and Kirsten was back to being her normal self. Ryan wasn't even sure about what he'd seen, because Kirsten was as adept at hiding her feelings as he was. Nevertheless, in an attempt to placate Kirsten, he led Dawn away from the kitchen.

Throughout the entire day Ryan walked a delicate balance. He tried not to spend an inordinate amount of time with Dawn while not staying too near Kirsten or the rest of the Cohens. Neither woman seemed aware of his distress; in fact, both seemed to seek him out whenever they could, which only made things harder for him.

To add to his anxiety, Dawn brought up Marissa during the conversation at dinner. Even though Ryan had managed to move past Marissa, she was still a painful subject to him.

After the rather awkward (at least in Ryan's perspective) dinner, it came time for the thing that Seth was most looking forward to: opening presents. Ryan wasn't exactly surprised that Dawn hadn't gotten him anything; she had never been one for giving gifts, and the thought of the car she'd gotten him after graduation only brought back morbid memories. He shook off the feeling of intense sadness that threatened to wash over him, then handed Dawn the gift he'd gotten her. Her look of mixed shock and joy upon seeing the dress made him automatically grin in pride

Taylor scooped up Sophie and placed the awed little girl next to Dawn. Ryan noticed anger flash briefly accross Kirsten's face, and he bit his lip before deciding to go and sit between Kirsten and Seth. When he sat, Kirsten reached over and gently squeezed his shoulder. It was a gesture that he didn't quite know how to interpret, though in the back of his mind he thought that she had done it just to assure herself that he was really there.

That night, he slept restlessly. The blankets seemed too heavy and suffocating, and he couldn't find a comfortable position. He was tired as hell but couldn't get to sleep. At one point, when he was just starting to drift off, he thought he heard voices outside, but by then it was so early in the morning that he was sure he had merely been dreaming.

When Dawn left the next morning, Ryan felt a flood of relief; no longer would he have to balance precariously between the two blonde women in his life. He ambled inside to schmear bagels for breakfast. As he was eating, Kirsten and Sandy shuffled in, each grabbed a bagel and a cup of coffee, and sat next to Ryan, who noticed that Kirsten looked as tired as he felt. For a few minutes no one spoke; they just ate and enjoyed the comfortable silence. An idea began to form in Ryan's mind, and when he finished eating he looked at the two adults, gingerly cleared his throat, and asked something that he'd been wanting to ask for a long time.

"Hey...I've been thinking. Would it be alright with you if I...if I legally became a Cohen?"

Sandy and Kirsten had never looked so happy.


	4. Author Note

Hello. First of all, thank you for all the comments so far. I'm glad that you like the story, and I would happily continue writing it except I seem to have run into a minor teensy little roadblock: I don't know whose POV to do next!

Suggestions, anyone?


	5. Sandy

He hadn't meant to make Kirsten uncomfortable. They'd been talking about what to do for Chrismukkah, and the suggestion had just slipped out. He didn't know where it had come from, but all of a sudden he'd found the words "We should invite Dawn over" pouring from his lips.

The look on Kirsten's face had been priceless.

While the suggestion had been unexpected even to him, he had thought about it and decided that it would be good for Ryan to see his mother. Besides, they hadn't made contact with Dawn since that fateful graduation day, and he was sure she must be worried out of her mind about Ryan, what with the earthquake and all. He knew he would be if he was in her position.

After much cajoling (wink wink) he finally got Kirsten to agree that maybe it was best for everyone, and maybe she could call...okay, she would call. They were interrupted by Sophie crying from the other room, and as Kirsten straightened her clothes and left the room, Sandy was hoping he'd made the right choice and that this Chrismukkah would be a good one.

On Chrismukkah morning, Sandy couldn't keep still. It was going to be a good holiday, he could feel it. He would get to see Seth again, along with Summer, and Ryan and Taylor would both be home. Taylor and Ryan were in some weird stage where they weren't quite friends but weren't yet more than friends, yet Sandy couldn't help thinking of Taylor as another daughter- after all, the girl had come over many times to babysit Sophie. Also, the Coopers were coming, and he was actually pretty excited to see them. Kaitlin, as it turned out, was rather spunky and witty, and Sandy enjoyed hearing her kid around with the boys. Julie was getting more and more likeable each time she visited; it seemed the Ice Queen had melted away and been replaced by an actual human being.

The only worrisome thing in all of this was that Kirsten was nervous and scared as hell about Dawn coming over. She hadn't exactly told him how she felt, but he was so keenly attuned to her feelings that she didn't need to. He knew how she felt. He'd felt it too, when Frank first had dinner with them. There had been a deep-seated, unshakeable fear that maybe, just maybe, Ryan would choose Frank over them. Never mind that Frank was a convict who was lying about having a deadly illness, or that he used to be violent. Never mind that Frank hadn't been there for Ryan for most of the boy's life. The fact remained that Frank was Ryan's biological father; therefore, the two of them had a connection that Sandy would never have with Ryan. It was a terrifying thing to think about, and the only way he'd gotten through it was that Kirsten kept reassuring him that Frank would not replace Sandy. Now, Sandy wasn't sure whether or not Kirsten believed her own words when it came to Dawn. She was scared that Ryan would choose Dawn over her.

Sandy kissed his wife good morning and whispered, "She won't replace you." Kirsten smiled softly and the two of them made their way to the kitchen to prepare for Chrismukkah.

Later, Dawn was the last to arrive, to no one's surprise. But at least she was sober and seemed healthy and happy. As long as they kept liquor away from her and didn't bring up Trey or Frank, everything would be fine.

And for the most part, it was fine. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, though the mood was temporarily dampened when Dawn callously brought up the subject of Marissa during dinner. Sandy kept close to Kirsten, quietly reassuring her that Dawn would not take Ryan from them. His efforts at comfort did not stop her from trying to stay near Ryan the whole time, so Sandy kept an eye on her from farther away while he talked to Seth about RISD and she hovered around Ryan and Dawn.

It was while they were opening presents that Sandy realized how anxious Kirsten really was. When Taylor carried Sophie over to Dawn, Sandy saw fear flit across Kirsten's face, as if she were afraid of Sophie being so near Dawn. It was ridiculous, really; what could Dawn possibly do to Sophie? Sandy took hold of Kirsten's hand and made a mental note to never have her invite Dawn over again.

It was very tiring to keep his guard up all day long, and that night Sandy slept like a rock.

It was the next morning, while he, Kirsten, and Ryan were in the kitchen eating breakfast, that Ryan asked them if he could legally become a Cohen. The question stunned him; it had been completely unexpected. He barely restrained the urge to throw his arms around Ryan and Kirsten and start crying tears of joy. Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating a little, but Sandy counted that moment among the top five best moments of his life. The first moment was was Kirsten Nichol first said the words "I love you" to him. The second was when his and Kirsten's eyes had met during the wedding ceremony, and in that brief second he had seen nothing but pure happiness in her eyes. The third was the first time he saw Seth, and the fourth moment was the first time he saw Sophie. And now, he had a fifth moment. He had Ryan wanting to legally become his son.

Ryan Cohen. He liked the sound of that.

That afternoon, Sandy found himself alone with Ryan for a few minutes. He glanced at Ryan, then cleared his throat. Ryan looked over, and Sandy awkwardly asked his question.

"What made you change your mind? About becoming a Cohen?"

Ryan looked over to the sky, as if it would give him the answer. He stared at if for awhile, and Sandy was beginning to wonder if Ryan had even heard him when Ryan looked back at him and answered.

"It was Dawn. When she visited, I just realized that I didn't think of her as my family anymore." It was, in classic Ryan style, a short, right-to-the-point answer, and it made Sandy realize two things. One, he really truly thought of Ryan as his son, and two, he and Kirsten had done all that worrying for nothing.

x x x x x x x x x x

Sorry it's so short. I'll try to make the next on longer. Thank you for all your suggestions in regard to faux-chapter 4.


	6. Seth

The airport employee ripped Seth's plane ticket then handed it carelessly back to him. He let go before Seth could grab it, and the ticket fluttered listlessly to the ground at Seth's feet. The attendant did not seem to notice, and as Seth bent down to grab his ticket the person behind him growled menacingly at him to hurry up. Seth glared, and as he straightened up he banged his head on the attendants desk.

Today was not going well, and the fact that everything was going wrong worried Seth, because it might mean that everything would also go wrong on Chrismukkah, and Chrismukkah was The World's Greatest Holiday, and if Chrismukkah got ruined, the rest of his year would also suck, because he always spent the better part of his year looking forward to the holiday, especially now because Christmas was one of the few times that RISD closed down and allowed Seth to fly home to Berkeley to see his family.

Basically, Seth cherished Chrismukkah as much as life itself, and nothing, absolutely _nothing_, would keep him from celebrating it with his family. After all, what wasn't there to love about Chrismukkah? There were many, many presents and...well, anyway there were presents. And it was absolutely indestructible, what with it being supported by both Moses and Jesus.

Seth stumbled in the aisle of the plane, then scrambled quickly into his assigned seat. At least it was first class; if he'd had to take coach he would have had to kill himself, because Seth Cohen had been raised in a super-wealthy environment and given nothing but the best, and never in his eighteen years had he been forced to fly coach. It was a fact that he was very proud of.

He scanned the line of oncoming passengers, searching for Summer, who had called and told him that she would be a little late. Just as Seth was starting to panic, she appeared, struggling with her too-heavy carry-on. The opening chords of Hello Sunshine played in Seth's head as he rose to greet her. "Summer!"

"Hey, Cohen!" She grinned at him while trying to lift her carry-on into the compartment above their seats. He helped her with it, then pulled her into the seat next to him, kissing her as they fell onto the plush cushion. She giggled, and just as Seth was getting really into it, he heard someone very nearby clear their throat very loudly. Both teenagers looked up to see a large man glaring at them. He pointed to the seat Summer was on and said, "I think your on my seat." Summer started to say something, but Seth whispered to her that it might be better if she moved- that guy could probably squash Seth in a second. She rolled her eyes but stood and scooted two rows behind. The large man lowered into his seat with a grunt, and Seth involuntarily let out a little squeak, then quieted himself, as he was determined to not get his ass kicked by the larger guy. That had happened way to many times in high school.

The rest of the plane ride was torture.

By the time Seth and Summer reached the Berkeley house, Seth was praying fervently to Moses that the rest of holiday vacation would go smoothly. Luckily, Moses seemed to be listening, because Seth's welcome home was a happy one. Ryan and Taylor were already there, Sandy and Kirsten were overjoyed to see him and Summer, and Sophie looked as adorable as ever.

Seth was feeling better already.

Chrismukkah morning is exciting. The Coopers had arrived, and the house was bustling with life as last-minute preparations were put into place. The chime of the doorbell drifted through the noise, and Seth, being closest to the door, answered it.

Oddly enough, it was Dawn. This was not something Seth had been expecting. For one thing, she had a tendency to bring drama (and not the good kind) with her. Secondly, Seth had been under the impression that this woman, the bringer of the death-car, was out of their lives for good. After all, wasn't Ryan theirs now? Hadn't he called Sandy "Dad" and Seth "brother"?

Still, Seth couldn't just slam the door in the woman's face, so he let her in then shuffled off to find Summer.

For the rest of the day, Seth observed Ryan and Dawn. Both seemed tense, and Ryan sort of alternated between Dawn and Kirsten. It was both interesting and awkward to watch, and also kind of difficult because Summer kept trying to cheer Seth up, and how was he supposed to concentrate on Ryan when Summer was right there, distracting him with her hotness and conversation? Also, his Dad kept coming over and talking to him about college and such, and how was he supposed to concentrate in the face of his father's witty comments? It was very unfair, really.

By the time it came to open presents, Seth was starting to feel a little guilty about judging Dawn. So far, she'd actually been nice. This holiday, there had been no surprise illegitimate children, no irrational fights, no getting outrageously drunk...this holiday had actually been a happy yet uneventful one.

That night, it took Seth half an hour to fall asleep. He kept thinking about the expression on Dawn's face when he opened the door. She'd looked both terrified and hopeful. Why had she been terrified, and what had she been hoping for? He didn't know why he couldn't stop thinking about it; maybe because he'd never seen such a look on his own mother's face. It was strange to him, that anyone would be scared of entering the Cohen house.

He finally drifted off to the sound of Summer's even breathing as she slept beside him.

The next morning, Seth woke up late. Summer was still asleep; he didn't want to wake her. Soft voices were coming from downstairs, and Seth wanted to go down and have breakfast, but Summer just looked so cute while she slept that he waited until she got up.

When he got to the kitchen, the first thing he noticed was that his mom and dad both had silly grins on their faces. He looked suspiciously at them. "What's going on? Why are you smiling like that?" His parents exchanged glances, then his dad (who looked slightly starry-eyed) said "Go ask Ryan" while he pointed toward Ryan, who was outside.

Seth shot his parents one last worried glance, then made his way to Ryan, who seemed to be doing nothing but standing there and thinking deeply about something.

"Hey."

Ryan looked up and nodded his acknowledgment.

"Okay...what's going on with everyone? Mom and Dad are acting weird, and they told me to ask you."

"I'm going to legally become a Cohen."

"What? Really? Wow, man, that's awesome. We'll actually legally be brothers. You'll be Ryan Cohen. Whoa. That's crazy. Ryan Cohen. It kind of rolls off the tongue--try it."

Ryan gave Seth an are-you-okay? look.

"Right." said Seth, getting the hint. "I'm going to, uh, go tell Summer." He walked back inside and past his dazed parents. The words 'Ryan's going to be my BROTHER' replayed over and over again in his head. Seth had always felt that Ryan was his brother (okay, not _always_, but close enough); after all, the two had confided in each other about girls, had been through the earthquake and Sophie's birth and Kirsten's alcohol problem, and Ryan actually had some Seth-blood in him.

Still. _Ryan Cohen_. The name stunned him.

Summer appeared in the doorway of the room where they'd slept, but she stopped short when she saw Seth.

"Cohen? Are you okay?"

Seth grinned goofily at her, and the only words he could get out were "Ryan Cohen."


	7. Sophie

Note: I was going to post this earlier but for some reason the computer wouldn't let me. Sorry...

Chapter 7

Sophie Cohen flipped through one of the many Cohen family photo albums. She liked looking at the pictures; they made her feel calm and happy. The album she was flipping through now consisted of pictures that had been taken back when her family lived in Newport Beach. Of course, she hadn't been born yet when they were taken, but whenever she flipped through it she tried to imagine what her life would have been like had she grown up there instead of Berkeley.

She stopped at the picture of Marissa and Ryan at Cotillion. She knew who Marissa was, knew that whole history, because she'd been told the stories. Since she turned thirteen, her parents and brothers figured that she was definitely old enough to hear the rest of the Cohen family history. She'd been told some of the history before, but her parents had left out the unpleasant parts that they didn't think she was old enough to hear. But as soon as Sophie entered adolescence, she started pestering her family about what it was really like to live a glamorous, wealthy, party-filled life in a mansion(mainly because a part of her envied people who lived like that, and she couldn't believe that her family had just left it all behind).

So they'd told her. They filled her in on the illegitimate love-children and the death and alcoholism, and about a man named Jimmy who they used to know, and his daughter Marissa. And they told her about how Ryan came to be part of the family.

Sophie had noticed that there were no pictures of Ryan as a little kid, and she'd questioned Mom about it before. It had been explained that Ryan only came to live with them when he was sixteen, but that was it. Now Sophie knew why. They hadn't wanted to tell her why Ryan came to live with them-- that he got kicked out for stealing a car, that his mom, Dawn, had been alcoholic (like Mom, except a lot worse), that his father had been in jail, that Dawn had dated a string of mean boyfriends. Those were sordid details that they were sure that a 7-year-old was too young to know.

Still, her parents had made it clear that Ryan was Sophie's brother and their son.

"What was Ryan's name before he came to live with you?"

"It was still Ryan. Ryan Atwood," replied Mom.

"Atwood?" Sophie crinkled her nose and tried to think of her brother as Ryan Atwood. It was hard to do, because she had never heard him called anything except Ryan Cohen. "Then, why'd he change his name to Cohen?"

Dad answered this time. "Dawn came to visit us one Chrismukkah--"

"Ooh, what happened that year?" Sophie was used to hearing about Chrismukkahs filled with drama. To her disappointment, Dad shrugged.

"Nothing, really. Everything went well, and the next morning Ryan simply asked to legally become a Cohen."

"That's it?"

"We'd been waiting for that for years," added Mom, while checking the time and glancing out the window at the slowly darkening December sky.

"Yeah, that's a lot!" Dad seemed surprised that she didn't understand the magnitude of Ryan's request.

Sophie rolled her eyes and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

"They're late," noted Mom, peering through the window again.

"They're always late," Sophie pointed out. Just as she said this, a black Lexus pulled up into the driveway. It parked then produced Seth and Summer and their kids, Lauren and Joshua.

After a few rounds of hugs and kisses, the men and little kids went inside, leaving Kirsten, Summer, and Sophie out on the porch. Sophie stared at Summer; she'd always been fascinated by the older girl, mostly because of her environmental work and the fact that she led protests against big companies that were cruel to animals.

Another car pulled up next to the curb and parked. Ryan and Taylor got out. "Sorry we're late," said Ryan while he hugged Kirsten then Sophie. Taylor and Summer were talking in low, excited tones about something, and Sophie, who was standing right near them, caught the word "pregnant." She smiled and started for the door.

"Ryan'n'Taylor are here!" she called into the house.

"What are ya waiting for? Come in!" Dad called back.

Summer, Taylor, and Mom went inside, talking animatedly and leaving Sophie outside with Ryan.

"Are you coming or not?" whined Sophie.

Ryan smiled at his sister's impatience, then smirked and reached over to ruffle her hair.

"Hey!" She ducked and pretended to be mad while she fixed her hair. She ruined her own façade by giggling. Ryan grinned.

"Hey, Chino, let's go!" Summer poked her head out from behind the screen door.

"Yeah, come on, Soph." Ryan took Sophie's hand and pulled her to the house. "Let's go celebrate Chrismukkah."

FIN


End file.
